Winter League Rd 2 (24/2/13)

Well, I think it would be a struggle to be any colder without having ice on the lakes!

Despite talk of the match being moved on to another lake it went ahead as originally planned on the new lake. With it being very peggy last week a good draw was going to be vital - the lowest and the highest numbers wanted to be avoided as these place you on the front of the lake. Peg 34 wasn't what I wanted to see in my hand when it came out of the bag - on the front of the lake it, and one of the two pegs that blanked out right last week - my optimism waned somewhat upon seeing that as it has no recent form what-so-ever!

With plenty of time to set up I had a variety of rigs to try and scrape a few fish from the swim. I have to say I wasn't optimistic though! Whilst in the last winter league round I had the fortune to be out of the wind, this time I wasn't so lucky - what wind there was blew strait in to my face, and while it barely touched the water it was absolutely bitter! I don't very often sit with my jacket on, normally as fleece on top is fine, but I had it on and done right up such was the chill. Fingerless gloves were worn too - and I never fish with those on!

I had two lines down the middle, well away from each other (one fed with a tiny amount of dark groundbait, one with just loose feed) A deck rig for across which doubled for a margin rig for the long margin to my right, plus two shallow rigs for across. Plenty to try and search the peg, and that's what I did...

For four hours and forty five minutes I searched the peg - in the end I was even on size 20 hooks and .10 hook-links in an attempt to catch anything! (no point in going lighter on a commercial). It wasn't until that very end spell when I managed to catch four little perch down the edge to my right, doing nothing different to what I did all day. Other than those I never saw a sign of a fish all day. There was only one carp caught on my bank, while last week there were three, so it was fair to say it was hard. Still, the others didn't have to sit and watch (as I did) peg 29 catching on and off for much of the day as they put 50 odd pound on the scales.

My four micro-perch didn't do much for me - I think I was second from last! They only really saved me from a blank, the points won't matter as this will have to be the result dropped. It's not great, but not a disaster - always seem to get one cess-pit of a draw in a winter league series, yet still manage to have a good record in them. (it's funny how those that seem to christen me as a draw-bag when I do well are quiet though!) Here's hoping for both a change luck at the draw bag, and the weather. It will after all be March next week, and that's meant to be spring!

Sunday Feb 17th

I'm sure you're all beginning to detect a theme here - rather brief updates! Yes, unfortunately there is not a lot to write about again as the weather seems to conspire against us every week, with a few mild days leading up to the weekend and then a sharp frost on Saturday night / Sunday morning.

I have to admit, despite the draw (I had peg 5, which has no real winter form, but it does on occasion throw-up a surprise) I had a little confidence that a few fish could be had. With the sun slowly creeping higher in the sky the far bank of the peg would be in the sun most of the day, and I hoped a few fish would take advantage of that fact.

I had two dobbing rigs up for the far bank, plus a deck rig at just over 3ft which also doubled as a margin rig for 10m to my right. I had one bite all day across on punch on the shallowest (18in deep) dobbing rig which gave me a common of about 6lb. This was about twenty minutes in! I never saw a sign of a fish across, either visably or in terms of liners, and the same can be said for the pegs around me with either side having one carp each. At least they saw their bites mind - I looked away briefly and my carp announced it's presence by hooking it's self, even on the longer line used on my shallower rigs!

Peg 11 was the victor on the day with eight or nine small(ish) carp for about 22lb, two fish for 16lb was second I think.

With the Winter League set to continue next week there is talk the round will be moved on to the other lake which is at least providing a few more bites for everyone. The weather again looks set to be against us again though with another cold snap predicted.

I have to say (last week being the exception) that this winter has become more than a bit of a chore, and I can't help looking at the calender now as we approach the end of February and longing for those longer and hopefully warmer spring days!

Winter League Rd 1 (10/2/13)

Well, the weather has finally allowed the winter league to start, albeit I now believe it's shortened down to five matches instead of six. That said, despite the lack of ice it was still a bit on the cool side! A walk around the lake before hand didn't show any groups of fish visible, but it did show some pegs would be sheltered from the biting wind!

When my hand went in the bag peg 63 came out - I don't seem to be moving far on this lake, I keep getting to look at the same piece of island! I did mutter "at least I'm out of the wind", which turned out to be something which influenced the day quite a bit in the end....

I had a good plumb along the island so I knew where the line of the shelf dropped to around 3ft along the island. I had a rig up to fish on the deck for this, trying in various places until I hopefully found some fish. A 4x12 Chianti (with a plastic tip) on .14 mainline to a .125 hook-link and an 18 hook was for this. A "dobbing rig" to fish punch was also put up for this line, set initially about 10in off the bottom. A 4x10 Preston PB2 was on this rig, with the lines being the same as previous. The hook was a larger size 16 to allow for a large piece of punch. Last up I had a rig to fish two lines down the track at 11m, one to the left and the other to the right, just where the bottom started to slope up. A 4x14 Chianti was used here, same lines as the other two rigs and an 18 hook. The idea was to feed slightly more on one line and not top it up and see if one worked any better. All the rigs were matched to Preston 11h elastic.

On the whistle I fed my two track lines, before baiting up with just a corn skin and trying it along the far bank. I had about half an hour doing this with no joy, but in that time the pegs either side of me had both had a carp. I baited up the punch rig and started the searching process with that. I'd tried all along the bank and it wasn't until I got to the far right edge of my swim that the float went! A lively fight saw a ghostie of about 5lb in the net and that was one decision made right on the day - I hadn't set up a roach rig!

While baiting up again I noticed some slight movement in front of me, so rather than go right down the peg and risk pushing any fish away I tried there. The float had been in no more than a few seconds before it slipped away and carp number two was on. This fish was much smaller at about 1lb 12oz, but two in as many put-in's banished any thoughts of trying for roach!

I carried on searching the peg, and bites seldom came in two's from the same spot. It probably looked like I was merrily bagging from the same spot, but in fact I was working hard at searching out the fish that were constantly moving around the peg. Looking for what my friend Carl (very aptly I think) calls "nervous water" was the key to regular bites. A very subtle movement that many I think would discount or not even notice! The fish were of varying sizes, but it was noticeble that those I caught close to me were smaller - the bigger fish were obviously hanging away from noise / bankside presence.

By the halfway point in the match I was up to eight carp before signs of fish decreased. I had a drop down the middle over both lines and while they produced no signs of fish the rest to the far line worked. Back across and the next hour was steady if not spectacular with another six fish falling. I found that presentation wasn't quite right at one point and adding a string of small back shot helped keep the longer line in check and hit the bites that weren't quite as confident as the earlier ones.

After that run predictably the fish backed away again. Another spell down the track produced no bites but the signs of life came back across. The fish were noticebly wary now and despite obvious signs bites weren't forthcoming. With a cold rain falling for most of the day I wondered if the fish had dropped down a bit. Deepening the rig a couple of inches bought me carp number fifteen - my biggest of the day at about 6lb coming from right in front of me, but further from the bank. It looked like the fish had dropped out of the shallower water, especially when a 2lb'er fell next drop, but no more bites came.

Shallowing up and odd roach started to have a go at the punch - the carp were certainly backing away. I hooked another carp which felt a big fish further down the peg but disaster struck when it came off near the net. I didn't get a good look at it but it appeared to be 5lb+, and not foul-hooked. I checked the hook (which I'd changed after the last fish landed after I bent it with the disgorger) but it appeared fine. With about twenty minutes to go I hooked another carp, not so far down the peg and that one came off after a few seconds! While nothing appeared to be wrong with my hook, I changed it again - it seemed odd that I'd only lost fish after the hook change. I didn't get to find out if that was the answer as I never hooked another carp.

With sixteen carp in my net and nobody else having more than eight I was well clear of second place - my fish totalling 62lb 9oz, with 31lb being second and 24lb third. What was noticeble when I walked away from my peg was the wind - it was a cold day anyway, but that wind was bitter and the carp had obviously moved away from some of the more favoured pegs and out of the wind - second place was next peg to me while third and fourth both had the wind off their backs. After the struggles of the last few months it was nice to catch some fish, and they couldn't have came at a better time!

Sunday Jan 27th

This will be just a quick update again, mostly because there isn't a lot to report! The winter league has been postponed for a fortnight due to the weather (a decision I support!) so this week was just business as usual.

Both lakes still held ice - less so on the old lake which was around half clear. With all the ice melting the last thing I wanted was a deep peg (cold water being densest,and melting ice makes for the coldest water can be) - somewhere nice and shallow in the sun would be nice, but I only got one half of my wish! Peg 68, in the open water and the deepest part of the lake. Doh! At least I didn't have to break any ice though!

With the wind the long pole was out, so it was pretty simple - a bomb rod, and a short pole rig for roach at 6m.

To save boring anyone, I had a liner first cast on the bomb, a 3lb common on my second chuck, then liners in the two casts after. That took me up to the first hour and the point at which all the ice melted. After that, I never had a sign of a fish - I couldn't even get a bite from a roach! I wasn't the only one who struggled either, but I didn't blank at least!

A sheltered peg round the back of the island (59) won with seven carp for 29lb, 14lb was second and 9lb was third.

My next blog won't be for another fortnight now, until (weather permitting) the winter league does actually start. To be honest, after the struggle of the last couple of months I can't wait to see the back of winter!

Sunday 13th Jan

Sorry to those who've been checking in for an early update - I've not been able to sit down with the laptop until now!

I wont bore you with the details of a dull day to be honest, as I managed just a handful of small silvers from a peg round the back of the island on the old lake. I wanted a peg in the open water, and preferably in the reeds with the advent of the cold, but didn't get either. Peg 72 won with about 24lb, and I think there was only one other double figure weight.

The island pegs were a real struggle and the only carp I saw caught from where I was sat was foul hooked.

I doubt that I'll be out next weekend, with the forecast weather added to the struggle that this winter has been makes ice breaking a chore I'm not willing to endure! I think I'll have a good tackle sort out instead. Hopefully the weather will clear up for the winter league that commences the week after.

Sunday January 6th

Apologies for there being no picture again - my camera had been used over the New Year and when I went to use it the batteries were dead!

I was looking forward to a change of scenery with the lakes, as I'd not fished the new lake since early in November. It also meant I couldn't possibly draw peg 66!

I decided to join the queue earlier than I usually would, and had mixed feelings about the peg which came out in my hand. Peg 31 is perhaps best described as the lesser peg on the best side. It does produce occasionally, but it tends to be very hard on more occasions - I've struggled off it more than a few times.

I had a job to find a clear area across with the plummet at first, but eventually I found a clear area slightly to my left where I could push pretty tight to the island in 3ft of water. The rig for there was a 4x12 Preston Chianti (I'd replaced the tip with a plastic one, which are easier to see against an island). The rig had a .14 dia hook-link tied to a size 16 B611. I found that to my right on the island (where it goes in to a bay which takes in the rest of the pegs on this side of the lake) I couldn't push a deck rig in, but I made a mental note of where there were less obstructions so I could use a "dobbing" rig along there to search for fish. While I had a nice clear area on the point of the bay, I find you don't tend to catch on the front area on past times I've had the peg. The dobbing rig was a small 4x10 Preston PB2 float with the same terminal gear as the other rig. Lastly, I had a rig for fishing at 13m at the bottom of the slope in about 6ft of water. Rig was a 4x14 Preston Chianti, with the terminal gear again the same as the other rigs. The elastic on all was Preston 13h.

On the whistle I fed only the track line, giving it just three grains of corn and a tiny ball of wetted micro pellets. I then went across on the deck rig and a grain of corn, hoping to search out any signs of a fish. I had about a clear meter of bank where I could fish the bottom, and hoped that I could nab an odd fish should any pass the point.

I gave it half an hour without any signs, and the only action I could see was peg 25 having lost a fish. Time to search along the bank to my right with the shallow rig. After about fifteen minutes on this I actually had a liner, fishing about 2.5ft deep over about 4ft of water. I plugged away in that area for a while longer with no joy before trying a little further to my right. I had no signs on the float, but on a calm day I was sure there was a slight water movement caused by fish. No visible swirls, just a slight rocking of the water. I deepened the rig up, slipped a 9mm punch on the hook and shipped out. No sooner had the rig settled than the float dipped away and I was in! The culprit was a ghostie mirror of about 4lb, and a lovely looking first fish of the year.

I repeated the process next drop in, but this time I had to wait all of a minute for the float to go. A common of nudging 5lb gave a good account of it's self before joining the other fish in the net. It took perhaps five minutes on the next drop before the float plinked under again - this fish was much smaller than the others at about 1.5lb. I was wary of pushing the fish out of my peg early on, so the next drop in wasn't quite so far down the peg. I was surprised when only a few minutes later the float ducked away again. Another small common was the result, perhaps about 2lb this time.

After that fish as I was shipping out the angler to my right decided he wanted a piece of my action, and cast a lead as far down his swim towards me as he dared. While he didn't cast beyond the boundary of his swim, it did enter the water about two meters from where three of my bites had come like a house brick being thrown in. I was even less amused when he decided it wasn't tight enough to the island about a minute later (even though I wasn't that tight) and he re-cast it. Again, it landed with all the subtlety of a brick. I had a liner seconds after (it may have been the waves!) and that was that for a while!

I came away from the disturbance, hoping that leaving the area quiet the fish would settle again, perhaps even nearer to me away from the noise. I had a go down the track with no joy, before also trying the original deck swim on the island.

Perhaps three quarters of an hour later I ventured back along the bank to where my bites had came from, but no signs came for an hour or so (with about 90 minutes left) After that I could get odd signs on the float - definite liners, but no matter what depths (from 2ft to 4ft) or baits I tried I couldn't get a bite. With just ten minutes to go I shallowed my rig up to 18in deep, and went as far down my peg as I could fish but tucked the rig right in to the bank. The float was barely there for ten seconds before it plinked under. A lively common of nearer 6lb than 5lb was the result. I didn't have time to get another bite though!

In the end only one other carp had been caught in the favoured late 20's. I reached the scales as they got to peg 17 who put 17lb on the scales, and peg 11 was top weight with 26lb. Peg 18 put 27lb on to take the lead briefly until peg 20 put 31lb on to take the win. My fish went 18lb 6oz on the scales which in the end was good enough for 4th, and hard earned off a side of the lake that didn't fish well. I'm sure the next pegs noisy casting towards me cost me a fish or two - possibly even a frame place. I also wish I'd searched shallower and tighter to the island a bit earlier. I was wary of the snags and losing rigs though. All in all it was a decent effort on the day, but I still feel I was a little off the pace and didn't quite get it right and perhaps could have challenged a little more for a frame place. Still, at least the float went under! Hopefully I'll be back in to it proper in time for the winter league which starts at the end of the month.

Sunday 30th December

No picture of the peg today - the bright glaring sun in front of me made it practically impossible to get one! Anyhow, you only need to look at last weeks blog to see - as with a high attendance meaning most pegs were in, I still managed to draw the same peg as last week. In fact, I think three of my last five matches have been sat on that peg now!

There's no real need to run through the rigs either - I had the same set-ups as last week, with the conditions practically the same as before. The wind did manage a slight breather and dropped totally before the whistle, but it turned out to be the calm before the storm, and predictably it started again, right on the whistle!

I started the match on the long pole while the wind wasn't so bad. I searched along the far bank hoping to find some signs of life but none were forthcoming. On the half hour mark I gave up wrestling with 16m of pole and dropped in on the 13m line, dripping odd grains of corn in. As I caught late on off that line last week I was confident it would go again, so I plugged away at it for a while.

After ninety minutes everybody I could see to my right (sat in the sun) had carp, and some people had two or three. The sun hadn't came round the island where I was, but was glaring off the water around my nets, and even with glasses on, a peaked cap and one hand in front of me it was a nightmare as the ripple shattered the reflection - and led me to come home with a thumping headache which still hasn't quite faded.

The glare led me to plug away on the bomb for a bit, but it wasn't until there was just under two hours left before the rod went round with a fish on. It was a decent fish too at around 5lb, falling to double corn. The rod went round on the next cast after a similar ten minute wait, but in-explicably there was nothing on the end. If it was a liner, it was the most savage I've ever had!

I plugged away at the bomb for a while after, but no more bites came, so with an hour-and-a-bit to go I went back on the 13m line, certain that it would produce. I gave it until there was just under half-an-hour to go, but had no signs on it. Rather fed up, I threaded three grains of corn on one of the longer haired hook-links I had for the bomb (for bread) and cast out to where I'd had my one fish. I then proceeded to have a cup of coffee before packing away my pole rigs. The bomb had been out for about that "magical" ten minute mark before the rod near went in the lake! A 4lb common then came in like a wet sack - it'd obviously used all it's energy on the bite then! The same trick was repeated and shortly before the end of the match the rod went round again and a 5lb common made the net shortly before the whistle.

I didn't bother to weigh in - I could see a few people with more fish than me, plus my pounding head just wanted to get home! I perhaps should have plugged away on the bomb a lot more during the day, but I was sure I could make the pole work - I guess I was wrong!

The top weight on the day was peg 51 with a little over 80lb - the conditions combined to make that area of the lake carp soup. It's the shallowest part of the lake, was off the worst of the wind and in the sun the whole time it was out. It's not often that peg fishes in the winter, but it was spot on yesterday! 46lb was second from peg 44, before three weights all around the 30lb mark.

For me it's a disappointing end to the year - the winter has been hard for me angling wise as I've struggled to gain any sort of form and confidence. The draw bag has played some part in it granted, but I just can't seem to get in to the swing of things as I did over the summer. I can't complain too much mind, as on the whole I've had a fish-filled year - four of the five ton+ match weights from the venue were in my nets. I guess the slow last two months is just a leveller for the great summer I had.

Tight lines to all, and a Happy New Year for 2013. Here's hoping it's a good 'un!